Veldhuizen & Bisselink (VB) in Renswoude has been supplying Christmas trees to Plantion for 15 years. This year, the partnership will be expanded. A large group of customers who always had their trees delivered by VB will now be completely unburdened by Plantion Shop & Go.
These are buyers of Christmas trees for which Plantion was already doing the billing. They can now also order and collect their trees from Plantion Shop & Go. ‘This represents a great expansion for us’, says Michaël van der Meer, Head of Plantion Shop & Go
Denmark
VB also benefits from this customer transfer. ‘It allows us to serve our other customers better and maintain an overview’, explains Hein Veldhuizen. ‘We entrust our customers to Plantion Shop & Go knowing that they will be treated well.’ VB gets its Christmas trees from Denmark. Hein: ‘In Denmark, it gets cold relatively quickly, which stops the sap flows. This is beneficial. The Nordmann is the most requested tree because of its beautiful, full-bodied shape. Its needles don’t sting and are less likely to fall out.’
Trees without a root ball
Christmas trees are not always thought of as environmentally friendly, but VB does make more sustainable choices. ‘We supply trees without a root ball, since more can fit on one lorry. Replanting a tree with a root ball sounds nice, but in practice, the chances of such a tree regrowing are slim.’ Only the tree-cutting is still done with diesel-powered machines, which VB cannot control. ‘Other than that, we work with electric equipment, from the sawing machine to the forklifts.’
Easy Fix standard
VB also looked for an alternative for the protective net around Christmas trees. Their string machine does the same thing but uses less material. VB also offers the Easy Fix, a durable stand. They even have an option for trees up to six metres. Finally, together with Chrysal, VB developed Treefood which helps trees absorb water.